Improvement in fruit-driers



2 Sheets-$11 11,

G. S GRIE R. Fruit-Drier.

Patented Oct. 28, I879.

' WITNESSES fiK/Z .M

ATTORNEYS N,PETERS, PHOTU-UTNOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON D. O,

2 Sheetx-Sheet 2.

G. S. GRIP. R.

Fruit-Drier. No. 221,055. Patented Oct. 28, 1879.

ATTORNEY-Q" N.FETER5, FHOTO'UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTQN. D G.

. TATE GEORGE s. GRIER, or

MILFORD, DELAWARE.

l MPROVE MENT IN FRUlI-DRIERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221,056, dated October 28, 1879 application filed July 17, 1879. v i

To all whom it may concern:

and useful Improvements in Fruit Driers and Evaporators 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description' thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a fruit-evaporator, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of my improved fruit-evaporator. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same. Fi shows the bottom of the drier. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the roof. Fig. 5 shows one of the boxes with removable trays.

A represents a bed-frame, of suitable dimensions, provided with four upright posts, B B, between which the boxes are'placed for formin g the walls of the evaporator and holding the trays. In the bottom frame, A, are two straight bars, 0 O, crossing each other at rightangles in the center and dividing the bottom of the evaporator into four equal divisions. In each division is arranged a series of inclined slats, a a, and the four series of said slats are inclined outward in the four difi'erent directions, whereby, when the evaporator is set over the furnace, the current of hot air, asit ascends,

is directed to the sides of the machine.

D D represent the boxes which go to form the walls of the evaporator, and which are open at top and bottom. Each box contains one or more removable trays, b, which rest upon cleats cl on the inside of the box.

, The upper edges of the side bars of each box D are made V-shaped, while in their under edges are made corresponding grooves, so that the boxes will fit close together and can easily be moved back and forth. The outer sides of these side bars of the boxes have two or more horizontal notches, a0 :12, at each end, into which take pivoted pawls h h. These pawls are pivoted to vertically-movable posts or uprights I I, which .are connected to the stationary corher-posts B B by means of rods or bars m, at-

tached to each post I, and passing vertically through eyes i in a groove on the stationary post B.

Each movable upright I is provided with a rack-bar, n, and the twd rack-bars on the same side of the evaporator are operated by pinions p on a horizontal shaft, H. The two shafts H H, on opposite sides of the evaporator, are operated by worms J J on a shaft, K, at one end of the evaporator, said worms takinginto gear-wheels L L on the ends of the shafts H H. The sh aft K is provided with hand-wheels M M for turning the same.

In operation, the first box, having its tray or trays filled with fruit, is pushed in over the heater or furnace, and after being there, say, about ten minutes, more or less, as desired, it is raised up by. the gearing and the pawls h, attached to the movable uprights I, and another or second box similarly filled with fruit pushed in under the first, and the first lowered down on the second, and so on until twenty or more boxes with trays have been arranged to form the evaporator.

It will be noticed that with my mechanism I lift each box independently of the others, so

that I can lift a portion above, leaving the boxes of the lower part stationary by disengaging the pawls below. This enables the operator to examine any one or more of the boxes by sliding them out while those above are suspended.

N represents the cover with central stack 0.

This cover is put on the first box to cause a draft, and it is raised by resting on the top or first box, so that the evaporator is complete at all times, whether one or twenty, or more,

boxes are inserted.

In the cover N is a bottom, P, which does not extend to the outer edges of the cover, thereby causing the vapor and-heated air to be drawn from the middle to the sides to dry evenly; -and it also aids in carrying off the fumes of the sulphur when suchv is used to bleach the fruit.

I am aware that a fruitevaporator has been made with upright sliding bars or posts provided with spring-pawls, which pass under the trays to support the same; but in such case the pawls are inaccessible, and none of them can be thrown out of the way, whereas in my case the operator can easily disengage any one or more pawls on each post, so as to lift any one or more boxes, or all the boxes together, as may be desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a fruit-evaporator having its boxes or trays arranged to be lifted from the bottom, a lifting mechanism provided with means adapted to engage each or every box, whereby the boxes may be lifted independently of each other or all together, substantially as herein set forth.

2. In a fruit-evaporator, four movable uprights, each having a series of pivoted pawls and arranged to slide in four stationary posts secured in a frame,incombination with a series ot'boxes 0r trays having notches on their sides, whereby the boxes may be lifted independ ently of each other or all together, substantially as herein set forth.

3. In a fruit-evaporator, the bottom composed of four groups or series of inclined slats, arranged as specified, to conduct the ascendin g current of hot air to thefour sides of the evaporator, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4. In a fruit-evaporator, a series of open top and bottom boxes arranged to form the sides of the evaporator, and each box containing one or more removable trays, in combination with a lifting mechanism provided with means adapted to engage each or every-box, whereby the boxes may be lifted independently of each other or all together, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set myhand.

GEO. S. GRIER.

Witnesses:

H. AUBREY TOULMIN, J. J osnrn MCCARTHY. 

